Conflict resolution | Harriet Connor

Christians are meant to be people of peace, right? We follow the Prince of Peace; he calls us to be peacemakers; the fruit of the Holy Spirit includes love, joy and peace. And yet, we still seem to experience conflict in our churches and families. Our kids fight, we have arguments with our teens, and conflict plagues our marriages too. Sure, the neighbours may not hear us, but we know that our homes aren’t always places of peace.

We tend to default to the way that conflict was managed in the families we grew up in. Were difficult issues avoided and swept under the rug? Did one person always get their way? Were voices often raised? These patterns can shape our own response to conflict.

In this episode of Timeless Parenting our guest Jane Gibb, an experienced life and conflict coach, helps us to consider a Christian approach to conflict, especially within marriages and families. In particular, we talk about the opportunities that conflict offers—it can be a catalyst for personal growth and stronger, deeper relationships. We cover questions like:

What is conflict?
Is it normal for Christians to experience conflict?
What are the different ways people naturally respond to conflict and why?
Where do we experience conflict in our families?
What steps can we take to work through personal conflict in a healthy way?
What are some principles for managing conflict in our marriages?
How can we teach our children to manage conflict well?

This is a very insightful, practical and wide-ranging conversation—you might even want to take notes! You can find further resources for you and your children at Peacewise.

You can also find our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms.

Mothers Union Sydney runs an annual seminar about Christian life and parenting. Listen to talks from previous seminars on Soundcloud.

—

If you want to get in touch with us to offer some feedback or suggest a topic, you can write to us at: timelessparenting@youthworks.net

Timeless Parenting is brought to you by Growing Faith, a ministry of Youthworks Media, and Mothers Union Sydney.

Most Australian children will spend 13 years of their life attending school. That’s a long time! So as parents it’s important for us to think about how to set our kids up for a positive and meaningful experience of schooling.

That was the focus of our most recent conversation on the Timeless Parenting podcast with our guest, preschool educator and mother-of-five, Kat Ashton Israel.

Many parents agonise over the seemingly all-important question: When should I send my child to school? For children born in the first half of the year, parents have the choice of sending them when they are turning five or turning six. We can become preoccupied by getting this decision ‘right’.

This is indeed an important question to consider, and one that we discuss in this episode. But actually, it isn’t the only question we need to think about. In our conversation we also talked about:

How can we begin preparing our child for starting school?

How can we develop a positive partnership with our child’s school and teacher?

When concerns and conflicts with the school arise, how can we navigate them well?

As Christians, how can we make a positive contribution to our school community?

One question we chose not to discuss was which kind of schooling to choose for your child—public, church or Christian school … or homeschooling. If you would like to think more about that topic, check out Emily Cobb’s chapter of Parenting in God’s Family: ‘Weighing up different types of schooling’.

This conversation brings a balanced Christian perspective to the topic of schooling and will give you plenty of ideas for having positive starts and positive partnerships at school!

Listen, be encouraged and share it with your friends!

—

You can also find our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms.

Mothers Union Sydney runs an annual seminar about Christian life and parenting. Listen to talks from previous seminars on Soundcloud.

—

If you want to get in touch with us to offer some feedback or suggest a topic, you can write to us at: timelessparenting@youthworks.net

Timeless Parenting is brought to you by Growing Faith, a ministry of Youthworks Media, and Mothers Union Sydney.

Harriet Connor

Author of Big Picture Parents

Tag: Conflict resolution

How conflict offers opportunities for growth

Schooling: positive starts and positive partnerships

Harriet Connor

Subscribe via Email

Recent Posts

Subscribe via Email